


Adrinette April 2020

by Sweatersandrainydays



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (Chapter 4), Adrinette, Adrinette April, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23418226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweatersandrainydays/pseuds/Sweatersandrainydays
Summary: A collection of one shots/drabbles for Adrinette April, each one can be read independently.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 29
Kudos: 220





	1. Day 1: Pranks

No one could’ve known what they were unleashing on the class when they befriended Marinette. She’d never felt comfortable enough to prank them.

Now she did.

Everyone knew to watch out for Nino and Kim battling for the title of Prank Master. No one could have possibly guessed they wouldn’t even be contenders this year.

No one even questioned it until PE – when everyone’s sneakers went missing. “Alright Nino, hand them over,” Alix said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t look at me, dude,” Nino put his hands up. Alix raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah right, Kim would never take precious time off of gym class.”

“It would be highly out of character,” Max pushed his glasses up.

“But Nino always takes credit for his pranks,” Ivan said.

“Wait, so you weren’t the rubber spiders?” Juleka asked. “Those were totally awesome.”

“The cheese scented soap in the bathrooms?”

“The cat memes?”

“The benches? The candy?”

“Guys, none of those were me!” Nino said. “My plan was to blast music every time M. Damocles tried to make an announcement, but the dude hasn’t even tried it once! Seriously, it took me hours to set it all up. I didn’t have _time_ for any other pranks.”

“Kim did _all_ of them then?” Alix raised an eyebrow.

“Try Kim did none of them,” Kim protested. “My plan is outside.”

“Then who did all the other stuff?” Alya asked.

“Guys, I found the shoes!” Mylene motioned toward the gym. The others quickly gathered around. Inside the gym was Chat Noir, or, a sculpted version anyways, made out of everyone’s sneakers, a mop, and a bell.

Kim whistled, “Alright, that’s pretty impressive, even if it is cutting back on our gym time.”

“Nathaniel, was it you then?” Rose asked.

Nathaniel shook his head, “I’m not great with sculpting, my medium is definitely drawing. Marinette’s always been decent at sculpting though, right Alix?”

“Yeah, I mean, it's not her favorite, but this is definitely something Marinette could pull off. It makes me want to leave me shoes here. Almost.”

“And it’s in character, Marinette runs the Chat Noir appreciation page on the Ladyblog,” Alya added.

“But Marinette doesn’t pull pranks,” Mylene said.

Kim laughed, “Yeah she does.” The class looked at him, puzzled except for Nino.

“Who do you think taught us?” Nino grinned.

“ _Marinette_?”

“Why hasn’t she done prank week with you two then?” Max asked.

Nino shrugged, “We offered the first year we started it, but she never seemed interested.”

“What changed?” Rose asked.

“No idea.”

* * *

_Several Day Ago_

“Marinette, what’s prank week?” Adrien asked.

“Oh, just something Kim and Nino started when we were little. The two of them always try to outdo each other with the most memorable pranks each year.”

“Can anyone join in?”

“Yeah, it’s usually just the two of them though.”

“Will you teach me?” Adrien asked, breaking out the kitten eyes.

Marinette didn’t even try to fight them. Besides, she _loved_ pranks and it _had_ been a while. “Let’s get started.”


	2. Day 2: #marinettechallenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette can and will fall asleep anywhere.

Nino and Adrien had crowded around Alya as she went through the submissions of the week for her new Instagram account. It started when several of the girls had noticed Marinette falling asleep in increasingly odder places. Alya had gotten the idea to turn it into a tag and as people spread the word soon the entire school had been in on it, so she’d decided to start an account specifically for the Marinette posts. There was also an unofficial contest to see who could get the weirdest one.

So far it was Juleka was a picture of Marinette asleep on a pile of rubber snakes from the latest theater production, though Marc’s picture of Marinette asleep against one of the sculptures in the art room was pretty funny too.

“The other day I saw Marinette asleep on the stairs _standing up_ ,” Nino said as Alya scrolled through a batch of photos sent by Sabine. Alya hadn’t even known she used Instagram until she’d joined in the challenge.

“You know the rules, pics or it didn’t happen,” Alya reminded him. “Besides, that’s not even close to the weirdest I’ve seen. Try asleep while brushing her teeth.” Alya flipped to a new photo. Marinette was indeed asleep at the sink, toothbrush still in her mouth.

“Can you send me that one Alya?” Adrien asked.

Alya smirked, “You say that like you aren’t going to ask for all of them anyways.”

“You should see his phone, ninety-nine percent of the photos are either Marinette or Ladybug,” Nino said. “And Marinette’s contact is saved with, like, a gizillon hearts.” He turned to Adrien. “You’re such a sap.”

Adrien’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

“To be fair, Marinette’s pretty gooey too when it comes to Adrien.”

“Not like this, Alya,” Nino shook his head. “He’s never read you one of his poems, has he?”

“Hey! It’s not my fault Marinette is so cute all the time.”

“You’d think she was cute even if she rolled around in a dumpster all day . . . actually, I think there’s a photo in here somewhere of her asleep on top of the dumpsters out back behind the bakery. Oh! Alix just sent me a new one.”

Alya opened the message and let out a whistle, “Alright, this one probably wins.”

Alix was grinning with a thumbs up in the corner surrounded by looks of disbelief and shock. In the center was Marinette, clearly asleep, with a dodgeball gripped firmly in her hands. The message Alix had sent along with it read: **Marinette just caught a dodgeball in her sleep. Honestly, I’m a little afraid and impressed right now. I’m going to ask her if I can turn this into a poster or something.**

Adrien was grinning, “Okay, that one I definitely want.”

“Dude, me too, that’s sick!” Nino said, eyes wide. “I’m so scared for the next game of dodgeball.”

“I’ve still got a few more to look through but I’m definitely posting this one,” Alya said, saving the photo. She kept looking through photos, most paling in comparison with the dodgeball photo until she came to Adrien’s. Alya’s jaw dropped. “Is this a beam on the Eifel tower?”

Adrien glanced over. The photo Alya was holding showed Marinette leaning against one of the beams on the Eifel tower, clearly fast asleep and clearly very high up with the view behind her. “Yep.”

“How’d she even get up there!? How’d _you_ get up?” Alya demanded.

“Magic,” Adrien shrugged. Technically, it was true. Marinette had gone up there as Ladybug and he had gotten up their as Chat Noir. If he’d detransformed to snap a picture before transforming once more and taking her home, well, no one could prove Ladybug and Chat Noir were there the same time as Adrien and Marinette. Besides, how he could he resist the perfect opportunity to win Alya’s challenge? Ladybug fell asleep in plenty of odd places and Chat Noir had seen them all. Finding one he could use that wouldn’t be identity compromising had been the tricky part.

Nino coughed something that sounded like, “Boyfriend advantage.”

Alya narrowed her eyes. Part of the rules were that you couldn’t tell Marinette about the challenge and stage a photo. Adrien held up his hands, “I didn’t mention anything, I promise.”

“You’re lucky Marinette can’t lie to save her life, sunshine boy,” Alya said, pressing dial on her phone.

One phone call and brief interrogation later it was confirmed Marinette had no idea what they were talking about and Alya ended up declaring a tie between Adrien and Alix’s photos.

“I still want to know your secret,” Alya said.

“I told you," Adrien grinned. "Magic.”


	3. Day 3: Multimouse and Adrien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Multimouse is worried about her very reckless (but also very sweet) boyfriend.

Adrien was trying not melt into his girlfriend’s arms. Especially since _she_ didn’t know that _he_ knew that it was her. But it was hard. Being around Marinette made his heart race at normal times. Seeing her as Multimouse again . . . he was surprised his heart hadn’t pounded right out of his chest. “Adrien, what were you even doing in this arrondissement?”

The usual ‘Photoshoot’ explanation was right on his tongue before he thought better of it. He was supposed to be having lunch with Marinette right now. She _knew_ he didn’t have a photoshoot right now. “I, um, I was looking for my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, we were having lunch together but then I had to run to the bathroom and when I got back, she wasn’t there.” He’d come back as Chat Noir, but she didn’t need to know that. Ladybug had finally relented on using Multimouse again once she saw this akuma’s powers so while she went to get the miraculous, he went to find Marinette. He still wasn’t sure where she’d gone, but obviously Ladybug had caught up to her at some point. “Then I heard there was an akuma, so I was really worried about her.” He was worried. He wasn’t transformed. He couldn’t protect her if the akuma found them.

“That’s very sweet of you,” Multimouse said, a dusting of pink visible right below her mask. “I’m sure she’s just as worried about you right now.”

It was Adrien’s turn to blush. Was it his imagination or had she held him a little closer when she’d said that? “I-um, thanks? If you see her, can you make sure she’s safe too?”

“I can do that,” Multimouse – _Marinette_ smiled, and his heart started beating faster. Almost a whole month of dating and she still had this effect on him. At this rate he’d never make it to a wedding. All last week he’d spent doodling Marinette Agreste and Adrien Dupain-Cheng in his notebook to try and figure out which he liked better. He wondered which she liked better.

Adrien had opened his mouth to ask before clamping it shut again, realizing he still had no explanation for knowing it was her.

Multimouse carried him to a rooftop before setting him down. “Stay here, beau gosse, Ladybug or I will come get you once it’s safe.”

She walked to the edge of the roof, pulling off her jump-rope tail and calling, “Multitude!” before the dozens of smaller minimouses began running off in several directions.

Adrien watched in awe as she scattered, already enacting some kind of brilliant plan despite her recent arrival. “Ready, Plagg?” he asked, once she was far enough away.

Bonus:

“Excited to fight an akuma with your girlfriend?” Plagg teased, flying out of Adrien’s jacket.

“Maybe a little.”

“Just don’t get too distracted lover boy.”

“I won’t. I have to protect Marinette.”

“And the rest of Paris.”

“That too. Plagg, claws out!” Adrien transformed in a flash of light before vaulting away, completely oblivious to the very surprised Minimouse who had stayed behind to make sure her very sweet but also very reckless boyfriend didn’t get himself into any more danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a bit late with this one, hope you enjoy!


	4. Day 4: Hand Touches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate AU where everyone has different marks. Adrien has a new favorite shade of pink.

Adrien loved his soul mark. Trails of color splashed all over his skin like buckets of paint, each one reminding him that he was loved. He loved the mess of it, such a stark contrast from the time when he only had four colors (and when the four had turned to three). Chloe's bright yellow had long been the most prevalent color, often coating his arms and hands with the occasionally brush on his cheek. The gorilla sometimes left dashes of gray on his shoulders, though it was more frequent than the deep plum color that belonged to his father. More recently they had been joined by other colors, streaks of blue from Nino and dots of red from Kagami. Even the occasional orange from Alya. He’d been especially pleased to find out both of Marinette’s parents left colors too. Black for her father and white for her mother.

His favorite by far though was the pink left by Marinette’s touches. Pink coating the inside of his palm and brushes of it up and down his arms. Pink streaking through his hair, dots on his cheeks, his nose, his lips. Pink covering his torso from her hugs.

He still remembered the first time the pink had shown up. His first day of school, their hands had brushed for the briefest of seconds when he handed her the umbrella. With that touch had come a light dusting of pink across the back of his hand. His eyes had gone wide, marveling at the color. Two new colors in one day! First with Nino, then with Marinette. When he looked at her again, the shade of pink dusting the back of his hand was covering her cheeks as she peeked out from the under umbrella and he laughed. She was so adorable, and she was one of his soulmates!

He wondered what her soulmark was? Was he part of it? He hoped he was.

Marinette had told him her marks were all tattoos, a collage covering her back. Right behind her heart was a black cat, a ladybug perched on its nose. Adrien had blushed scarlet the first time he’d seen it. Surrounding the cat was a rolling pin, a stack of macarons, a bowl of soup, a globe, and an antique clock. All from her different family members. A pair of headphones for Nino on her shoulder, and a cell phone with a fox charm for Alya in the center of her spine. There were some – a porcelain teacup, ivy vines, a paintbrush, and a few other that she hadn’t figured out yet, and others she’d only found recently. A fencing saber for Kagami and a guitar for Luka. Before the reveal she’d thought the fencing, saber might’ve been for Adrien, though now she knew it was clearly the black cat.

The day after they'd found out, Adrien had woken up with a pink nose and whiskers drawn on his face.

He’d laughed when the photographer asked if he could come completely covered in pink next time because it was such a nice shade and he wanted to try something.

The pink had almost been unnoticeable when he’d blushed after Marinette had first kissed his cheek.

The pink had also revealed their relationship to the class when he’d gone into school with it streaking across his lips and cheeks.

Alya teased him relentlessly whenever he wore a scarf, wondering just how much pink he was trying to cover (it wasn’t the _only_ reason he wore scarves, or, one scarf in particular).

Adrien cried the first time the teal marks from his mother showed up again.

And he cried when the last of the plum ones faded, even if they were in the shape of fists and hand prints.

There was more pink than usual in the following weeks.

Eventually new colors showed up too. Light blue and emerald and copper and pine green. Marinette bought him a color dictionary for his birthday so he could name each shade exactly, but his favorite remained Marinette’s pink, a shade somewhere between bubblegum and taffy. He loved the streaks in his hair, the swirls on his arms, the soft flutters on his lips and cheeks, each one carrying a memory of love.


	5. Day 5: Statue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class plays a game of statues in the park and Marinette is determined not to move.

Marinette was frozen, still as a statue. It was down to the last four: her, Alix, Ivan, and Nino. Statues was a favorite of the class, mostly because it was one of the few games where it wasn’t always down to Kim and Alix. Kim was, for once, one of the first ones out. He was great at being curator and getting other people to move, but he would get distracted pretty easily as a statue. Marinette on the other hand, was great as a statue. Mostly because Kim had always wanted to be the curator when they played so she had years of practice.

Statues should have been easy, relaxed even, but despite all her practice, she’d never come across _this_ kind of variable before. Adrien. Marinette didn’t think she’d even seen him blink last round. He said it was all the practice he got modeling. Whatever it was, Adrien had won the last round. Which meant he had the role of curator this time around, trying to make all the statues move. Marinette was good, but she wasn’t sure how long she could hold it together if he got close to her. The rules said no touching, but anything else was fair game.

Adrien was getting closer and Marinette felt like her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Then Ivan sneezed and he was distracted. Out of the corner of her eye Marinette saw a bright orange butterfly flutter away. Down to three.

A few minutes later Alix simply announced, “I’m out” and went to join the others on the side.

It wasn’t until Marinette saw Mylene elbow Alya and Alya pull out her phone to film that she got nervous. She felt him near a second later. “Boo!” She didn’t move. “I’m impressed, you always jump out of your skin when I sneak up on you.” Marinette was impressed with herself too.

Adrien moved so he was facing her, grin wide on his face. “Hey, Nino?”

“Yeah, du – awe man, you got me.” Nino went off to stand with Alya.

“Last one,” Adrien grinned. Ten minutes. Marinette only had to survive for ten more minutes. The rule had been established for a while since Kim wasn’t one to back down and Marinette knew most of his tricks. An hour just waiting for some kind of movement lost its appeal pretty quick. “You know, this is a pretty marbleous game. We can’t take it for granite.” Marinette resisted the impulse to roll her eyes or snort. Adrien’s puns were almost as bad as Chat Noir’s.

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, “Hey, my puns may be cheesy but that one was pretty grate.” Marinette had to bite back a response, or worse – a laugh. “Oh whale, they are plenty of other puns in the sea. One is bound to make you laugh.”

“I know it’s corny, but you’re really a-maize-ing,” Adrien grinned, having the audacity to wink.

“Took bad the rules say no touching,” Adrien said, casual as ever, and Marinette’s cheeks felt like they were bursting into flames. “But I suppose that fits with the rules at museums, we’re not supposed to touch the masterpieces.”

Adrien leaned closer. “We’re not actually at a museum, but even in a room full of art, I’d look at you.” Marinette was completely freaking out.

“I’m usually on the other side of the camera, but I can picture us together.” He paused. “Are you sure you’re not tired, Marinette?” She didn’t move. “Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.”

“You know,” Marinette said, giving on her pose as she took a step closer to Adrien, who grinned triumphantly. “Someone should call the police because you stole my heart.”

Adrien’s grin faltered, his mouth hanging open in shock as his face bloomed bright red. “What’s wrong, _mon ange_ , did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” Marinette’s face was only centimeters away from Adrien’s. “What’s wrong, Adrien, you can dish it out but can’t take it?”

“Mari, I – can I . . .” His eyes darted down to her lips.

“Get a room!” Alix shouted. The two jolted back, suddenly remembering they weren’t alone, both of their faces a matching crimson, but as they walked back to join the group neither could look away from the other for long.


	6. Day 6: Aspik and Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aspik runs into Marinette during an akuma attack.  
> Mild angst, also assumes established Adrinette

“Ad – Aspik, I’m fine, really,” Marinette insisted.

“No, you’re not! You’re bleeding and –”

“I’m not bleeding,” Marinette said, glancing down her body just to be sure.

Aspik paused, blinking several times before setting her down. He slid down, his back against the wall as he pressed his palms into his eyes. “You were bleeding last time,” he said. “And the time before that. Before that I saved you, but the akuma almost got my miraculous. The time before that you were bleeding again – I think that was the first time. I’m not sure anymore though – last time I knew it exactly but this time . . . all I can remember is 25,913 times I couldn’t save Ladybug. Maybe it’s better I can’t remember how many times I’ve failed you.”

“You didn’t fail me,” Marinette insisted. She hated that she’d had to give him the snake miraculous again. As Ladybug she had made him promise to tell her if it got to be too much, but Ladybug had vanished, leaving him on his own. _She_ had left him alone.

Aspik looked up at her, “You don’t remember it. My power – second chance, it lets me go back in time five minutes. I’m the only one who remembers.” He took a shaky breath. “There was so much blood. Or maybe it was a little blood a lot of times.”

“As – _Adrien_ ,” she’d find some excuse later for how she knew. Identities weren’t important. The only thing that mattered was that Adrien was in front of her and he was hurting. “Look at me,” he looked up. “You’re here now. I’m okay, I’m safe. You saved me.”

“H-how’d you know?”

“I – I . . .” there was an explosion and the sound of screams drew nearer. Suddenly Adrien was in front of her, his hand hovering over the miraculous, ready to turn back time.

“Don’t,” Marinette covered the bracelet with her hand. “Please, don’t go back again.”

“B-but the plan –”

“Ladybug can come up with a new plan.”

“I can’t fail again!”

“You won’t, Adrien, please, you promised Ladybug you would tell her if it was too much.”

“I-I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t have to!” Marinette cried. “You said it yourself, you’re the only one who remembers each time you go back. That means Ladybug knew on the surface how many times you’d gone back, but she had no way to see how much it was affecting you! I never would’ve asked you to do this if I had known . . . all of this,” she motioned around with her hands. “Adrien, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I never should’ve asked you to do this. And I knew – I knew you’d say yes, but I should’ve realized – I was so selfish . . .”

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. How could she have asked him to wear the snake miraculous again, knowing what he had done, knowing how much he’d put himself through? And she’d revealed her identity to him! She had _promised_ Chat Noir he’d be the first to know and she had wanted Adrien to be the second but she couldn’t even keep that straight and why was she worrying about herself when Adrien was the one hurting and – “My lady?”

 _Oh_. It’s you. Of course, it’s you.

Chat Noir had always looked at Ladybug like she personally hung all the stars in the sky each night, and Adrien had looked at Marinette like she was the air in his lungs. Now she was seeing both looks at once and it was turning her legs to jelly and how was she not just a puddle of goo on the floor?

He put a hand on her check, brushing away the tears that had fallen, “Please don’t cry.”

Marinette laughed, half relief half joy, “Adrien, Chat, I love you.”

He sucked in a breath, “Say that again.”

“I love you,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss.


	7. Day 7: Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure fluff, Adrien and Marinette are dating, every morning he leaves her a note and she brings him coffee and pastries

Marinette smiled as a piece of paper fluttered out of her locker.

_M, I love you. I love you. I love you. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that or writing it, which is good because I plan to have a whole lifetime of telling you that I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. – A_

“Another note?” Alya asked.

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed, wearing the same lovesick expression that Alya had seen every morning for the past two months. Marinette had thought the notes might stop once they started dating but if anything, they even more gooey than before. She’d practically combusted on the spot the first time he’d called her _mon couer_ , my heart.

“I can’t believe Adrien who writes you little love letters everyday is the same Adrien that tries to fit twenty cat puns into one sentence, unless – are the letters all puns too?”

Marinette giggled, “You’ll never find out.”

“Seriously, that boy is sweeter than a triple scoop of Andre’s ice cream with extra cookie pieces and sprinkles. Maybe it’s all the pastries you bring,” Alya teased, eyeing the bag in Marinette’s hand. “What is it today?”

“Mama and Papa made Ladybug and Chat Noir cookies, so I brought some of those along with a coffee.”

“With twenty packets of sugar and a handful of the little cream containers too no doubt.”

“Oh, obviously. I still can’t believe he actually drinks it like that.”

Alya shrugged, “We can’t all have all our taste go into fashion Miss I-drink-it-straight-from-the-pot.”

“Some of us don’t have _time_ to put in any cream or sugar,” Marinette said as they walked into the classroom.

“I hope you’re not talking about my coffee,” Adrien teased.

“Nope, one sugar overload in a cup as always,” Marinette said, handing him the bag and the cup.

“Have I told you that you’re an absolute angel today, Marinette?” Adrien leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“I believe that was yesterday’s note.”

“So, I haven’t told you today,” Adrien said. “Marinette, the absolute light of my life, you are an angel on earth.”

Nino took the coffee from Adrien’s hands, “Alright, that’s enough sweet stuff for one day. I’m confiscating the coffee.”

Nino took a sip and immediately started coughing and spluttering, “Dude! You drink that?”

“I told you it was bad,” Alya said, laughing as Nino shoved the coffee back in Adrien’s direction.

“Why can’t either of you just drink nice, normal coffee?” Nino sighed in exasperation.

“Think of it this way, babe,” Alya said. “Together they have a perfect balance.”


	8. Day 9: Alternate Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Blanc timeline where Adrien and Marinette don't break up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going a bit out of order here since I have most of day eight written but I'm struggling with the ending a bit

Marinette was going to drop-kick Gabriel Agreste into the Seine. It was step three in her master plan.

Step 1) Call a class meeting

Step 2) Don’t break up with Adrien because Gabriel Agreste is literally the worst person on the planet and won’t notice anyways

Step 2a) Once the plan has been explained, stage a dramatic break-up in front the house.

Step 3) Drop-kick Gabriel Agreste into the Seine

She was still working on the details of getting from step two to step three, but it was going to happen. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you here today,” Marinette began, the entire class minus Adrien crammed into her living room.

“Has someone been murdered?” Alix asked.

“What, no –”

“Cause that’s how the detective always reveals there’s a murderer in the room.”

“There might be after this is over,” Alya said.

“No murder,” Marinette said. “This is about Adrien.”

“Ooh, are we planning a surprise?” Rose asked, bouncing on the tips of her toes.

“No. Adrien’s father – well, Nathalie carrying a tablet he was on, came into the bakery the other day and demanded I break up with Adrien because it ‘bad for his image.’” There was an immediate uproar from the class.

“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

“So not cool!”

“That is statistically incorrect.”

Alya whistled, bringing the class’s attention back to Marinette. “Thanks, Alya. Anyways, he threatened to pull Adrien out of school if I didn’t do it.” There was another outbreak of angry mutterings. “For once, M. Agreste being the worst actually works in our favor. After this meeting I’m going to go dramatically break up with Adrien – he’s already in on it. Then we’re going to keep dating in secret.”

“Or, less then secretly,” Alya grinned.

“Yes, basically, we just need all of you to say we’re not dating anytime someone asks.”

Alix looked like Christmas had come early, “So we have full permission to mess with people?”

“As long as there’s still plausible deniability.”

“Awesome!”

* * *

“Adrien, we need to break up,” Marinette said bluntly. She had brought the umbrella he’d given her on the first day given the pouring rain. Adrien probably loved it, the weather adding the perfect touch in his eyes. He was an overdramatic dork, but he was _her_ overdramatic dork.

“But Marinette, why?”

“It-it’s your horrible puns,” Marinette turned away to hide the grin on her face.

Adrien gasped, placing a hand on his chest, “Marinette!”

“It’s true,” she shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek. She had to hold it together. This had to be believable.

“Pouring salt in my wounds, Marinette? Why must you hurt me sodium much?”

Marinette had tears in her eyes from holding in her laughter. She only hoped it added to act. “I have to go,” she said. _Before I give us away_. She turned and began to run toward the metro, hoping the shaking of her shoulders looked more like sobs than the laughter it was.

* * *

Adrien and Marinette sat on a park bench, an ice cream cone between them. “Aww, you two are such a cute couple!”

“We’re not dating,” Marinette said.

“Yeah, she’s just a friend!” Adrien grinned, placing a kiss on Marinette’s cheek.


	9. Day 10: Charm Bracelets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-reveal Adrinette, Adrien's father keeps insisting he look at schools outside of Paris. Adrien can only count down the minutes till he can see Marinette again.

Adrien couldn’t stop fidgeting with his charm bracelet. Three more hours. Then he could see her. Two hours and fifty-nine minutes.

Two hours and fifty-eight minutes.

Two hours and fifty-seven minutes.

“Go call her,” Kagami said, bringing him back to the present.

“I – what?”

“It’s clearly bothering you and we both know you have no interest in this school anyways. It’s too far from Paris, from _her_. I’ll cover for you if anyone asks," she smiled, kindly shooing him away.

“Thank you,” Adrien said, grabbing his phone from his bag and mumbling an excuse about going to the bathroom. His father had insisted he begin looking for schools, apparently everywhere _but_ Paris, despite Adrien’s protests. Aside from his duties as Chat Noir, Paris was where his friends were, where _she_ was. Adrien wasn’t going to leave anytime soon.

Once he found a more secluded corner, Adrien pressed the call button next to her name. Marinette picked up almost immediately, “Hey, everything alright?” she asked, setting her phone on her desk. From what he could see she was working on some sewing.

“Yeah, I just wanted to see you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a school tour right now?”

“Maybe,” Adrien grinned. “Kagami’s helping me skip.”

“Oh, _scandalous_ ,” Marinette wiggled her eyebrows.

“I know, what will be next? Sneaking out of the house as a masked vigilante?” Marinette snorted with laughter.

“I might know someone who could help with that.”

“Who’s to say I’m not doing it already?”

“Your busy schedule and the security system?” Marinette offered.

“Those could be worked around,” Adrien assured her. He did it almost every day.

“Hmm, well, maybe we could switch to a different movie then if you’re feeling so heroic,” Marinette had a frightening glint in her eyes.

“ _No_ , _Mari, not that one_!”

“Come on, you’re even in it,” she teased, confirming his suspicions that she did indeed mean _that_ movie.

“You didn’t like the movie either!”

“True, but watching _you_ watching it, is _very entertaining_.”

“If you had to hear yourself say such awful dialogue, you’d be like that too.” Marinette gave him an odd look, like there was some joke he was only just missing. “I mean, you’ve met the real Chat Noir, his puns are way better than that, right?”

“As much as it pains me to admit it, yes,” Marinette sighed. “But you can never tell him I said that, or I’d never hear the end of it.” Adrien grinned, technically, he didn’t need to _tell_ Chat Noir anything.

“I had to say all of those _multiple times_.”

“The tragedies of a teenage model slash voice actor.”

“You should definitely make some sympathy macarons.”

“What about sympathy kisses?”

Adrien could feel his face heat up. “T-those would be great too.”

“Yeah?”

“Y-yep!”

“Hmm,” Marinette tapped the screen where his nose was. “It’ll be a surprise for when you get back.”

 _Two hours and thirty-five minutes_.

“I should let you get back to the tour.”

“No, Mari! Don’t leave me to suffer.”

“Macarons don’t make themselves,” Marinette reminded him. “Besides, I have another surprise I need to finish. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Two hours and thirty-three minutes,” Adrien smiled, blowing her a kiss through the phone. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Marinette waved before hanging up.

Two hours and thirty-minutes. He could that.


	10. Day 8: Hair Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, Marinette, Alya, and Nino all have a sleepover at Marinette's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's day eight (finally), I'm not entirely happy with it but I want to upload before it gets too out of order, hope you enjoy!

“Let operation Best Sleepover Ever commence!” Nino grinned.

“What do we do first?” Adrien asked. He had already changed into his pajamas, fuzzy Ladybug patterned pants with a plain white t-shirt. He’d decided against the matching top since his blanket and pillow were already Ladybug themed too.

“Tom and Sabine always make tons of food,” Nino said. “And Marinette mentioned something about decorating cookies, so that’ll probably be first. Then we can watch a movie – hey, maybe you, me, and Alya can finally convince Mari to watch a horror movie!”

“Not happening!” Marinette called from upstairs.

Nino shrugged but sent him a wink, “We’ll see about that. Oh, and Alya will probably want to play truth or dare at least once.”

“But first –” a large pile of blankets tumbled down the stairs and Marinette emerged at the bottom with a grin, “Time to build a fort!”

Adrien suddenly forgot how to breath and Nino's laughter was little more than ringing in his ears. All he could see was her.

Marinette's hair was free from it's usual pigtails, falling in a sheet around her face. She was just as breathtaking as the first time he'd seen her with her hair down, even as the static electricity of the blankets made it frizz out in all sorts of directions. A soft “Wow” escaped his lips.

Pink dusted Marinette’s cheeks as she mumbled a thanks.

They built a fort from the blankets and couch cushions, Alya joining at some point, but Adrien hardly noticed. Maybe it was good Marinette didn't wear her hair down often, he couldn't imagine focusing on anything else. She was cute all the time, but there was something special about her hair being down. Especially when she blushed or laughed. Her laugh was magical, lighting up the whole room. She had so many different laughs too. Her laugh was different with Chat Noir, completely unrestrained. With Alya there were often shrieks mixed in with laughs. Nino was somewhere in the middle of those two, and with Adrien she giggled.

Adrien had been lost in trying to think of a good pun to get her to laugh when he realized they'd moved to the kitchen. His gaze kept being drawn back to Marinette. Marinette with the same cat pun t-shirt he’d once gotten for Ladybug. Marinette with her hair down and icing on her nose. Marinette laughing as Alya smeared some on her cheek. Marinette who made works of art on her cookies. Marinette who, for everyone of Alya’s Ladybug cookies, had made a Chat Noir cookie insisting one couldn’t exist without the other. Marinette who was definitely going to be the death of him by the end of the night.

“Um, dude, you alright there?” Nino asked, pointing down to his try of cookies. A giant glob of pink icing was covering his hands and several cookies. Marinette had been laughing at joke Alya told.

“Oh, I’ll get a towel!” Marinette said, glancing over at them.

“Sorry,” Adrien cringed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Marinette said. “I’ve spilled entire sacks of flour before, this is nothing.”

Only when she came back with a wet rag did Adrien notice the design of icing on her face. The bit on her nose had been smudged into a triangle, three streaks for whiskers on either side of her face. That must’ve been what Alya had been doing when she smudged some on Marinette’s cheek.

As Adrien wiped off his hands Marinette began redistributing the icing more evenly over all the cookies. “Time for a game then?” Alya asked.

“As long as it’s not truth or dare,” Marinette warned.

“Aw, but Marinette, don’t you want Adrien to get the complete sleepover experience?”

“We could play Mahjong, we’ve got four people, it’s perfect!”

“But – okay, actually, that sounds fun, I’ve never played before,” Alya said, frowning. “But don’t think you’re getting off easy, Marinette, we can play truth or dare after!”

“We'll see about that. Mama taught me when I was little, it’s a lot like cards actually,” Marinette put the tray off to the side, wiping her fingers on a nearby towel. “I’ll go get the tiles.”

A few minutes later Marinette had begun explaining the rules and setting up the tiles, “We’ll leave the flower tiles out since it’s your first time. Nino’s played at least a few times before, but I’ll start as the East Wind. Nino you might want to sit in the South seat so you can be East after me.”

“This is so much fun, I’ve only ever played the solitaire version,” Adrien said, the game distracting him from being too absorbed by Marinette’s beauty, even if he ended up losing spectacularly.

“How?” Alya groaned as Marinette declaring mahjong with her two North wind tiles. She’d managed to win using entirely dragon and wind tiles, tripling her final score. She’d won each hand but the second, each with a different score modifier.

Marinette shrugged, “This was one of the only games I would play for a while, so I've gotten a lot of practice. At first I just thought the tiles were pretty and I liked the noise they made but I picked up some strategy along the way.”

“Wait, Mari, didn’t you make your own set of tiles for an art project one year?” Nino asked.

“Oh yeah, they’re still around here somewhere. I think Mama put them away for safe keeping though.”

“I vote we switch to truth or dare before Marinette finds someway to win that too,” Alya said, still shaking her head as they put the tiles away.

“Don’t give her any ideas!” Nino protested.

* * *

Later:

“I dare you to compliment Marinette,” Alya smirked.

“Aren’t dares supposed to be hard?” Adrien asked.

“Well, I’d say until she blushes, but that ship has sailed,” Alya nodded in her friend’s direction.

“Marinette, you’re the kindest, bravest, most creative person I know,” Adrien said. Except for maybe Ladybug. _Maybe_. “Also, you look beautiful with your hair down.”

“Eep!” Marinette squeaked, burying her face in a nearby pillow.


	11. Day 11: Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Video games and kisses  
> They're 16/17 here, established Adrienette

“It’s so nice to be able to play these with actual people,” Adrien said, dodging an attack.

“Even though you keep losing?” Marinette smirked, using another combo. Adrien's cat bot only had a few health points left.

“I have a feeling my luck’s about to change,” he grinned, setting down his controller as he tackled her, tickling her sides.

“Hey!” she protested between laughs. “This is . . . this is cheating! No fair!”

Just as quickly as he had started, he stopped, grabbing his controller and using his special attack, finishing off her bug bot. “That doesn’t count!”

“All’s fair in love and war!”

“You _really_ sure you want to go there, Agreste?” she asked, the glint of a challenge evident in her eye.

“What’s wrong, _mon couer_ , scared of a little challenge?”

“You wish.” Marinette pressed the rematch button.

The match had barely begun when she grabbed his face in between her hands and pulled him into a kiss. She heard his controller fall to the ground in seconds as he moved his hands to her waist, pulling her closer. She teased him, nibbling on his bottom lip before trailing kisses down his jaw. He gasped as she moved so she was on top of him, pressing his back into the armrest of the couch.

Marinette pulled back a little and his eyes followed her, dark with desire. She was almost tempted to abandon the video game completely to continue kissing him. _Almost_. She lowered her face so her lips were only centimeters from his. “Marinette.” His voice was low, almost pleading.

“Adrien,” she stole one more kiss “Just remember” and another “You started this.” She quickly pulled back, grabbing her controller and launching her bot into an attack.

“Hey!” Adrien pouted, scrambling to find his controller. He fumbled around for a bit, his mind still clearly elsewhere. He only managed a few counterattacks before the game declared Marinette the victor.

She’d barely set down her controller when Adrien began peppering her face with kisses, “That was,” he kissed her forehead “so” her nose “mean,” her cheek.

“I thought all was fair in love and war,” she grinned, bopping him on his nose. “And your face was pretty priceless.”

“Mean,” he insisted, resting his forehead against hers.

“Guess I should make it up to you then,” Marinette said, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Or maybe I need to lose at video games more often.”

“We both know that’s going to happen anyways, love,” Marinette laughed, pulling him closer for a kiss.


	12. Day 12: Piano Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien needs to practice for a recital and asks Nino if he knows anyone who plays the flute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to be a bit behind because school is kind of busy in the upcoming weeks but I do plan on finishing all the prompts  
> Hope you enjoy :)

Inspired by [this](https://amiraculousplatypus.tumblr.com/post/615139438158348288/todays-highlights-from-the-list-of-canon-things) post reminding everyone Marinette plays the flute

“Hey, Nino, do you happen to know any flute players? I have a piece I’m supposed to practice for an upcoming recital, but it’s got a pretty large flute part,” Adrien asked as they walked into the classroom. He’d tried practicing with a recording, but something just felt . . . off.

Nino’s face lit up, “Yeah, Marinette used to play when we were little.” Alya nudged Marinette with her elbow. “She probably remembers enough to at least help you practice. Right, Marinette?”

“Oh! Um, I guess – I mean, I’m not very good, but –”

“Adrien, why didn’t you say you needed a flute to accompany you!” Lila grinned. “My great aunt taught me, she’s world famous you know. I’ve even played in the _Orchestre de Paris_ and –”

“I think Adrien was asking Marinette,” Alya cut in, her gaze hard. “Besides, your schedule’s almost fuller than Adrien’s, finding a time when both of you are free practice would be crazy.”

“Well, I’m sure –”

“And Marinette’s totally awesome with the flute too,” Nino said. “She won a bunch of awards in school competitions and stuff.”

“It was a while ago, and it wasn’t a bunch, it was only two,” Marinette said, a bit unsure. She didn’t want to overhype herself; it really had been a while since she’d played and what if Adrien expected her to be some great musician? Then he’d think she lied just to spend time with him, and he’d think she was just like Lila and their friendship would be ruined and they’d never get a hamster and –

“Great! Are you free this afternoon, Marinette?” Adrien asked, relieved to have avoided getting stuck with Lila.

“But –” Lila tried to protest.

“Maybe you and Adrien can partner for a future project,” Alya suggested, cutting off any further attempts from Lila.

“I-I suppose,” Lila sulked back to her seat.

“After school is fine,” Marinette whispered as Mme. Bustier began to teach.

* * *

“Here’s the piece,” Adrien handed Marinette a few sheets of music.

“Oh, I know this piece!” Marinette almost sighed in relief. She’d have no trouble with this at all.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I played it in one of the school recitals when I was ten.”

“Great, so you can tell me where I mess up,” Adrien sat at the piano. “Ready?”

“Y-yep!” Marinette took a deep breath. She was just playing the flute with a friend. He needed her help to practice. She knew the piece. She’d played it before. Everything would be fine.

They fell into an easy rhythm once they started playing. Marinette let herself get lost in notes rather than in Adrien’s eyes. He was good. Of course, he was. The only thing Marinette had found Adrien to be even marginally bad at was cooking and telling jokes. Though, she usually laughed at his jokes anyways and some of them were almost as bad as Chat Noir’s puns. _Love really does make you blind_ she thought.

“Wow, you’re amazing Marinette,” Adrien said after they finished a first run through. “I can’t believe you haven’t played since last year.”

“Life got a little busy,” Marinette blushed. “You played really well too.”

“Maybe, but if there was a review of our playing, I’m sure the papers would all write that it was entirely carried by the beautifully talented flute player.”

Marinette tried not to implode with the compliment.

She hadn’t even noticed when he moved to stand next to her, concern written across his features, “Marinette, are you alright?”

And maybe it was the sunlight coming through the windows and casting a golden light around his face that did it, or maybe she just feeling bold from the compliments. Either way, her goal of trying to spend the day with Adrien as friends and not get distracted by the fact that she was catastrophically in love with him failed miserably when the words, “Can I kiss you?” tumbled from her lips.

She froze, only briefly registering the look of surprise on his face as she prepared to take it all back and apologize because _what was she even thinking_ when suddenly “Yes.”

“I – what?”

“Please kiss me, Marinette.”

So, she did. Her brain was still in shock as he held her hand, his breathe visibly catching as she leaned in and kissed him. It was brief, both of them still shy and unsure, the barest fluttering of her lips against his. When she moved back, both of them were blushing and Adrien had not let go of her hand.

Then he brought her hand up, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, “You’re wonderful, Marinette.”

“I love you,” she said, her voice sounding surprisingly bold in her own ears.

“I-I think I love you too,” Adrien replied, bringing a hand to the side of cheek as he pulled her in for another kiss.


	13. Day 13: Scarf Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette are hanging out and Adrien finds some yarn that's a very familiar shade of blue.

“Hey, Adrien, could you get some yarn from the trunk under my basket upstairs? I have a blanket I’m half finished with that I want to work on while we watch the movie,” Marinette asked as she carefully removed the cookies from the oven. Between Marinette and her mom there were enough snacks to feed an entire photoshoot and then some.

“Sure,” Adrien grabbed a cookie from the tray she was holding before dropping it right back down.

“They’re right out of the oven,” Marinette giggled. “What did you expect?”

“That they looked even more irresistible than you,” Adrien grinned, kissing her cheek.

Marinette’s face turned bright red and it was only thanks to Alya all the cookies didn’t end up on the floor. “Smooth Sunshine, why don’t you get that yarn before we end having floor cookies,” she rolled her eyes with a fond smile.

Adrien found the yarn basket in its usual corner. He was always hyperaware of its presence from his visits as Chat Noir. Marinette had only made it more distracting when she covered it with a blanket. His friends would wonder what was taking him so long if he stopped to play in it though, and explaining why he had the urge to unravel it all would basically be handing them his identity on a silver platter, especially when Marinette knew exactly who else had that urge.

Better to just grab what she’d asked for and head down. Adrien’s breath caught in his throat the moment he opened the truck. One, she was very obviously knitting a Chat Noir blanket. That alone made his heart start beating ten times faster. Then his eye caught on a very familiar shade of blue. His favorite shade, second only to Marinette and Ladybug’s eyes. The exact shade of the yarn used to make the scarf his _father_ had given him.

The was a loud thump and suddenly Marinette was throwing open the trap door, “Adrien, wait –” she stopped when saw him holding the ball of blue yarn. “Oh.”

Her reaction confirmed it. He knew if he went home and studied the scarf a little closer, he’d find her signature buried in the threads somewhere. And she wouldn’t be hiding it if his father had somehow gotten the scarf from her legitimately. “Adrien . . .”

“You made that scarf,” Adrien said. Marinette only nodded. “Why – why didn’t you _say something_?”

“You looked so happy,” Marinette tugged at her sleeve. “I couldn’t take that from you. I’m so sorry, Adrien, that’s why I ran up here, I remembered the yarn and – this is why I hid it there in the first place! And now –” she was cut off from her rambling as Adrien threw his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Marinette, that’s nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” Adrien felt his eyes beginning to water. She had made him a scarf, _by hand_ , and then she had let someone else take credit for it because it made _him_ happy. “Thank you.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” she managed, relaxing into the hug.

“I’m sorry your gift got stolen,” he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the earrings she always wore catching the light.

“It’s okay, I have a problem remembering to sign things anyways,” she laughed.

“Wait, is there something else you forgot to sign?” Adrien asked. _Like a valentine? Please say a valentine._

Marinette turned pink, “We should go back down before we give Alya and Nino too much to tease us about.” She practically ran down through the trap door.

“Wait, what else did you forget to sign!” Adrien called as followed her back downstairs.


	14. Day 14: Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sort of continuation for Day 13, Marinette's knitting projects reveal her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is super late, school work has been picking up and finals are right around the corner so I haven't had much free time but procrastinating does wonders for writing motivation. Hope you enjoy

Marinette still hadn’t answered him and the question of what else she could possibly have forgotten to sign wouldn’t leave his head. Adrien tried to focus on the movie they were watching, but the prospect of solving the mystery of the murder was a lot less enticing than the mystery of what else Marinette had given him. Alya and Nino were cuddling on the other end of the couch while he had his legs curled around Marinette, careful not to disturb her knitting. Anytime he asked, Marinette just ignored him and began knitting more furiously than before. On the bright side, it looked like she’d have the blanket finished soon.

He let his brain wander to fully consider the possibility that Marinette had written the valentine. That she had responded to his poem. His poem to Ladybug that really – could just as easily apply to Marinette. Hair as dark as night. Pretty bluebell eyes. Strong, brave, kind. Their everyday Ladybug. Only . . . what if she was more than their everyday Ladybug?

_No, stop this!_

He had moved on from Ladybug. He liked Marinette because she was Marinette. Not because she reminded him of Ladybug. That wasn’t fair to her. He’d had this debate so many times, in his head, out loud with Plagg. Once in vague terms with Nino.

He didn’t want Marinette to be Ladybug. They were all just coincidences. It meant nothing. Adrien liked Marinette. He would still like Marinette even if she wasn’t Ladybug. Even if Ladybug burst through the door that second and professed her love for him, he would choose Marinette. He loved Marinette. But if she happened to also be Ladybug . . .

That would mean he fell in love with her twice.

It would mean that they’d danced around each other for _months_. That she had turned him down for him and her had turned her down for her and they’d gotten themselves into – into some kind of lovesquare!

Adrien groaned, burying his face into his hands. “You alright there, bud?” Nino asked.

“No,” he dragged his hands down his face. Then he turned to Alya, “You would know, Alya, what else has Marinette forgotten to sign? Besides the scarf?”

“Sorry, Adrien, my lips are sealed,” Alya said. “Best friend privileges.”

Adrien’s only answer was to flop back onto the couch with another groan. 

* * *

It was driving Adrien crazy when he showed up as Chat Noir for patrol a few days later. “Ready for a movie night, Chaton?” Ladybug grinned, she had a spotted tote bag with her along with an _awfully_ familiar blanket. A blanket he had seen Marinette finish not two days ago.

“Marinette?” He _had_ to know.

“What?” her eyes widened. “No – I’m not – that’s not –” she sighed. “How’d you know?”

“It seems your knitting is rather distinctive, my lady,” Chat Noir grinned. “And I have some more guesses as to what you could have possibly forgotten to sign.”

“Adrien?”

“Yes, my love?”

She pulled him into a tight embrace.


	15. Day 15: Sacrifices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir's identity is exposed after the defeat of Hawkmoth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celebratory chapter because my finals are finally done!!! Now that I have time again I'm planning to finish up the rest of the prompts so those should hopefully be coming shortly. Hope you enjoy :)

Marinette groaned; she’d been ignoring the constant text notifications for the better part of an hour. It was too early for any reasonable person to be up and akuma had stopped two months ago with Hawkmoth’s defeat. Despite the sleepy haze still coating her mind, she was sure of that. Marinette buried her head under her pillow, slamming it down over her ears.

The she heard Tikki’s muffled voice say, “Marinette, I think you really ought to check your phone!”

“It’s too early,” Marinette tossed the pillow away. Then she jolted awake, her heart skipping several beats. What if it was Adrien? What if he’d _needed_ her and she’d been ignoring him all morning? She _promised_ she would be there whenever he needed her. Now he was going to hate her, or think she hated him, or –

“Marinette!” Tikki’s voice brought her back to the present. Right. Look at the phone before jumping to any conclusions.

Marinette picked up her phone, scrolling to her earliest notification, her heart dropping into her stomach. The notification for her news app had been first, the headline printed in big, bold letters: **Chat Noir’s Identity Exposed: Adrien Agreste Put His Own Father in Jail**.

Scrolling up were text messages, mostly from Alya, a few from Nino, and a sprinkling from the rest of the class. None from Adrien. He probably had his phone off – or he was being mobbed and couldn’t – _focus, Marinette, Adrien’s going to need your help_. She dialed his number, kicking her sheets off and climbing down from her loft as the barest outlines of a plan began to form in her mind.

“Hey, this is Adrien, sorry I couldn’t answer the phone right now, leave a message after the beep!”

“It’s Marinette, I’m guessing your phone is turned off now – so you won’t hear this anyway, but if for some reason you do turn on your phone, like if you needed to check the best way to escape a hoard of people – which you probably already know from modeling anyways and that’s such a weird thing to google and – I’m rambling, you’re fine – you have to be fine. Adrien, please call me back and tell me you’re fine! Or text, or just keep your phone off – that’s probably safer anyways. I gottagoseeyouinabitloveyoubye!” Marinette hung up, trying her best to not toss her phone across the room. She hated voicemail, not just because of the Copycat incident, and it was awful with anyone.

She shook her head, _the plan_ , focus. Marinette dialed Alya, praying she wouldn’t get another voicemail.

Alya picked up on the first ring, “Finally! I’ve been trying to reach you all morning, girl! Have you seen the news?”

“Yeah –”

“I’m working on a Ladyblog article asking people to give him some space – dude has had a rough couple weeks. Is there anything you want me to add in particular? You’re not getting swarmed, are you?”

“No, I’m fine, Alya, thanks,” Marinette said, pulling on her jeans. “I’m just worried about Adrien.”

“Me too, girl,” Alya said. “Nino’s talking about trying to head over soon if you want to join.”

“I will, but first, I need your help with something.”

“Name it.”

* * *

Ladybug and Nino snuck into Adrien’s apartment building through the rooftop access. Alya planned to join them later, once the article dropped and the buzz died down. There was a mass of reporters surrounding the main entry to the building and Ladybug felt bad for anyone who was just trying to come and go from the building for their daily lives. Hopefully, it would clear up quickly with Alya’s new article.

Adrien’s floor was blissful empty. He was usually at Nino’s or the bakery anyway, so Marinette wondered if most of the residents even knew where he lived. She let herself into the apartment, Nino following close behind.

“Adrien? It’s Marinette and Nino.”

Plagg was the one to greet them. “Woah, kwami!” Nino said.

“Yeah, we got more pressing matters on our hands than introductions,” Plagg said. “Maybe you can convince Adrien you don’t hate him or want his miraculous.”

Marinette nodded. “Where is he?”

“Bedroom.”

“I’ll wait out here,” Nino said. “He probably doesn’t want too many visitors at once.”

“I’ll wait out here with this one,” Plagg nodded toward Nino. Marinette definitely heard him ask for cheese as she walked into Adrien’s room.

Adrien – or, what she assumed was Adrien – was curled under the covers, the news station on in the background. “Adrien,” Marinette said tentatively. “I brough you a croissant, fresh from the bakery – or well, I guess it’s not exactly fresh anymore, but it was fresh this morning and I should’ve just come right over here but I had to meet with Alya first and we couldn’t do it here and you would’ve tried to stop me anyways – that’s not the point. The point is I don’t hate you, I’m not mad at you, and I definitely don’t want your miraculous.”

Adrien poked his head out, “Y-you don’t?”

Marinette sat next to him on the bed, “I don’t.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“I’m not.”

“And you don’t want my miraculous?”

“I don’t.”

Adrien paused for a moment, watching her. Then he threw his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder as he pulled her into the nest of blankets. Marinette giggled, “Adrien, you’re going to smush the croissant.”

He loosened his hold just enough for her to put the bag on the nightstand before clinging to her again. “I’m so sorry, Bug, I –”

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for,” Marinette turned, freeing her arm to run a hand through his hair. “None of this is your fault.”

“I should’ve been more careful,” he insisted.

“There’s no way you could’ve known that guy was about to come around the corner recording.”

“But –” he trailed off as Nadja suddenly put a hand to her ear, a signal she was getting a message.

“This just in, Ladybug has revealed her identity in a video recently published to the popular Ladyblog.”

Adrien sat up, looking at her in horror, “Bug, please tell me you didn’t –”

“It’s confirmed, Ladybug’s identity is aspiring designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Jagged Stone’s go-to designer and Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend,” Nadja smiled, winking at the audience. “Looks like Ladynoir is canon after all.”

Marinette clicked off the TV. Adrien was staring at her, wide eyed, mouth open. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

“W-why?” Adrien finally managed.

“Gotta use my popularity for something,” she teased. “And now everyone can go crazy about Ladynoir being canon instead of talking about your father.”

“Marinette, you didn’t have to – you shouldn’t have –” he shook his head.

“Chaton, look at me.” He did. She put a hand to his cheek. “I wanted to do it.”

“But – _why_?”

“Because I love you.”

Adrien sucked in a breath, “Say that again.”

Marinette smiled, taking his hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles, “I love you.”

He leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “I love you too.”

A grin grew on his face, his eyes filling with a familiar playful light, but before Marinette could find out his plans, a distressed shout from Nino broke through the air. Marinette faintly heard something about cheese.

“Plagg,” Adrien sighed. “We should probably go stop him before he destroys the kitchen.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are very much appreciated :)  
> \- Min
> 
> come find me on tumblr @miscellaneous-miraculous


End file.
